chef
/shĕf/
noun
  1. A chief or head person.
  2. The head cook of large establishment, as a club, a family, etc.
  3. (Her.) Same as Chief.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English. More at Wordnik
shef Answer from Joe Carden on howtopronounce.com
🌐
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › pronunciation › english › chef
How to pronounce CHEF in English
2 weeks ago - How to pronounce CHEF. How to say CHEF. Listen to the audio pronunciation in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Learn more.
🌐
EasyPronunciation
easypronunciation.com › en › english › word › chef
Chef — Pronunciation: HD Slow Audio + Phonetic Transcription
How to pronounce 'chef' in English. Normal and slow speed HD audio recordings and phonetic transcription written with International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).
Discussions

Pronunciation of "chef"
https://svenska.se/tre/?sok=chef&pz=8# ! This page has two sound recordings of the pronunciation, they pronounce the vowel differently because of dialect but the initial sound is the same. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Svenska
26
18
December 6, 2023
Pronunciation of "Chefs"
In most uses /f/ is still pronounced in the plural, but note that in the compound "chefs d'oeuvre" ('masterpieces') there is no pronounced [f]! (This is also true of the singular for the compound.) More on reddit.com
🌐 r/French
5
4
December 8, 2022
pronunciation - Why a "chef" is a shef but a chair is not a shair" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Look up the etymologies of chef and chair; then let us know what you discover and whether that answers your question. Keep in mind that English spelling and pronunciation have very little to do with each other :-) More on english.stackexchange.com
🌐 english.stackexchange.com
December 11, 2014
In norwegian, how do you say "I'm a cook, not a chef."?
For pokker, Jim, jeg lager mat, jeg er ingen kokk! More on reddit.com
🌐 r/norge
182
143
June 9, 2022
🌐
Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › dictionary › eb › audio
How to Pronounce chef - (Audio) | Britannica Dictionary
Meta description: Hear the pronunciation of chef in American English, spoken by real native speakers. From North America's leading language experts, Britannica Dictionary
🌐
Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › us › dictionary › english-pronunciations › chef
How to pronounce CHEF in English | Collins
Master the pronunciation of 'CHEF' effortlessly with our comprehensive audio samples and instructional videos.
Find elsewhere
🌐
SHABDKOSH
shabdkosh.com › pronunciation › english › chef
chef - How to pronounce chef in English
Pronunciation Dictionary - How to say 'chef' in English? Learn spoken pronunciation of 'chef' in multiple accent in pronunciation dictionary, translation, pronunciation, synonyms and definitions of 'chef' in the English and Hindi reference.
🌐
ELSA
elsaspeak.com › en › learn-english › how-to-pronounce › chef
How to Pronounce CHEF in American English | ELSA Speak
Practice pronunciation of the word chef with ELSA advanced technology and say chef like Americans.
🌐
Sounds American
soundsamerican.net › article › chief_vs_chef_whats_the_difference_in_pronunciation
"Chief" vs. "chef": What's the difference in pronunciation?
July 10, 2022 - The words "chief" and "chef" are easy to confuse because they're spelled almost the same. And yet, they only have one sound in common: the /f/ consonant.
🌐
Quora
quora.com › Why-is-the-word-chef-pronounced-with-a-ch-sound-but-the-words-cheese-and-chemistry-are-not
Why is the word 'chef' pronounced with a 'ch' sound, but the words 'cheese' and 'chemistry' are not? - Quora
Answer (1 of 5): The simple answer is that there is more than one way to pronounce ch. The slightly more thorough answer is that chef comes from French, whereas the others do not. Cheese, or so I’ve read, comes from Old English. You’ll come across this kind of thing alllllllllll the time in Engl...
🌐
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › us › definition › english › chef
chef noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
She used to work as a chef in a big hotel in Johannesburg. see also pastry chef, sous-chefTopics Cooking and eatinga2, Jobsa2 ... Word Originearly 19th cent.: French, literally ‘head’. ... Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
🌐
Wiktionary
en.wiktionary.org › wiki › chef
chef - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Doublet of capo. [edit] IPA(key): */ˈʃɛf/[1] Rhymes: -ɛf · [edit] chef m (invariable) (cooking) chef (head cook) Synonym: capocuoco · (by extension) a sophisticated cook · [edit] sous-chef · [edit] ^ chef in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI) [edit] chef in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana ·
🌐
YouGlish
youglish.com › pronounce › chef › english › us
Chef | 11355 pronunciations of Chef in American English
Sound it Out: Break down the word 'chef' into its individual sounds "shef". Say these sounds out loud, exaggerating them at first.
🌐
Deep English
deepenglish.com › home › how to pronounce
How to Pronounce Chef
April 11, 2025 - Learn pronunciation → · The word 'chef' comes from the French phrase 'chef de cuisine,' meaning 'head of the kitchen,' highlighting its original use for the chief cook, not just any cook. noun · chef · A person who cooks food in a restaurant or hotel, often the main cook.
🌐
Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › chef
Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words
3 days ago - Chef definition: the chief cook, especially in a restaurant or hotel, usually responsible for planning menus, ordering foodstuffs, overseeing food preparation, and supervising the kitchen staff.. See examples of CHEF used in a sentence.
🌐
Quora
quora.com › Why-is-chef-pronounced-shef
Why is chef pronounced shef? - Quora
*chief is from old French (13c) and at that time /tʃ/ was assigned to ch. *chef is a more recent loan (1800). Modern French assigns /ʃ/ to ch. If the words were anglicized, they would be spelled...